By the Grace of G-d22nd of Kislev, 5722Brooklyn, N. Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

This is in reply to your letter of the 15th of Kislev, and the previous one.

You write about difficulties which you have encountered in your new business, and that it appears to you that your partner's attitude is not as it should be, etc., and you ask my advice.

It seems to me that you are justified in your apprehension that if you should leave at this time you would not be paid for your past work, or, at best, it might take a long time. On the other hand, the reason for your partner's attitude might well be explained by the fact that he simply is pressed for funds, or that the money is invested in some other way, and he feels embarrassed, and therefore is prone to be evasive or even rude at times. However, inasmuch as Rabbi Spector¹ has been the go-between and is a friend of both of you, you ought to ask him to try to straighten the matter out, both for the present as well as for the future.

I was surprised to read that you have no written agreement. This is very unbusinesslike. At any rate, you should try to find a suitable way to make a written agreement, whether in your present business, or any other partnership that you might contemplate. A written agreement, where all conditions and terms are spelled out, surely serves to save a lot of misunderstanding and friction.

As we are approaching the Festival of Chanukah, I trust that you are familiar with the essential message of the Mitzvah of the Chanukah lights, namely, to spread the light of the Torah and Mitzvoth both at home and "outside" in an evergrowing measure, just as the lights of Chanukah are kindled each night in increasing numbers and are supposed to shine both at home and outside.

With regard to the difficulty of Parnosso, it is frequently implied in the words of our Sages, that such difficulty is often connected with the lack of peace and harmony at home.² While I do not want to take sides, it is a matter of principle that the husband mainly has the responsibility for Sholom Bayis, in view of the fact that a woman is generally more emotional and sensitive, which should make the husband more considerate and more forgiving.³ So important is the matter of Sholom Bayis that it is included in the morning blessings which we say each morning in the Mishnah Eilu Dvorim,⁴ as you know. I trust that this is not the case in regard to your family life. However, it is well to bear this in mind, for there is always room for improvement.

No doubt you celebrated Yud Tes Kislev in the proper way, and I hope that the inspiration will last you throughout the year.

Hoping to hear good news from you, and wishing you and yours a happy and inspiring Chanukah,

With blessing,

By Nissan Mindel